Solution to 1D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.
ACROSS
1 Names everyone in class, discontentedly (5) CALLS {Cla{ALL}sS}
4 Drove naked, sustained by shocks and green lights (9) APPROVALS {APP{dROVe}ALS}
9 Revitalised an empty settlement (7) PAYMENT*
10 Seabird with a bit of gas, breathing heavily (7) PUFFING {PUFFIN}{Gas}
11 Boy, getting old (around ten, almost), ran off (6) BOLTED {B}{OL{TEn}D}
12 Chair sides with motion at the outset, amidst apprehensions (8) ARMRESTS {AR{Mo...n}RESTS}
14 Essentially set lay crossword - style is simple (4) EASY {sEt}{lAy}{c..sSw..d}{stYle}
15 Speech following last month's award (10) DECORATION {ORATION}<=>{DEC}
18 Herb medics ground and smeared? (10) BESMIRCHED*
19 Partition between India and Pakistan, after not the best union? (4) BLOC {LOC}<=>{B}
22 College community claimed: "A campus that has bounced back substantially" (8) ACADEMIA [T<=]
24 Oddly, CEO branded as a key component of our vision (6) CORNEA {CeO+bRaNdEd+As}
28 "Leaf's quality?" Gardener: "Nonsense - so uneven!" (9) GREENNESS {GaRdEnEr+NoNsEnSe+So}
29 CSK: Siraj's reverse carries dangers (5) RISKS [T<=]
DOWN
1 Spooner says, give money to TV provider with competence (7) C?P?B?E (Addendum CAPABLE (~pay cable to capable) - See comments)
2 Employ A-list stars, mostly for fans (9) LOYALISTS [T]
3 A drop of eggnog replacing egg in scones leads to tantrums (6) SCENES SC(-o+e)ENES
4 Author abruptly kills husband in vehicle (4) AUTO AUThOr
5 Notes from The Hindu say: "Gussalufz carrying on, yes" (5,5) PAPER MONEY {PAPER}{M{ON}E}{Y}
6 Delivery from Gussalufz's baker? (3,5) OFF BREAK {BAKER}* [RA] (Anind is Gussalufz = Crossword)
8 Girl getting involved in two crimes registers presence (5,2) SIGNS IN {SI{G}N}{SIN}
13 Tear C. Vitae's redraft, start once again (10) REACTIVATE*
16 One disparages Sri Lankans? (9) ISLANDERS {1}{SLANDERS}
17 Fantastic HR guide! New professional, known to transform one's life conclusively (5,3) HIRED GUN {HR+GUIDE}*{N}
18 New-gen baba gets a cushy seat (4,3) BEAN BAG*
20 Research Assistant hides body (7) CHASSIS [T]
21 One caught in a conflict backed red cosmetic (6) POWDER {POW}{RED<=}
23 American women are well-informed (5) AWARE {A}{W}{ARE}
25 Food drives? (4) EGGS [DD]
Reference List
Boy = B, Not the best = B, Son = S, Husband = H, Yes = Y, Girl = G, New = N, American = A, Women = W
Not the best=B? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteB is the second-rate (i.e. not the best) grade coming after A
DeleteThank you Ramki.
Delete26A- I would have preferred 'Solo, say' to get Han from solo.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a last name needs a "say" to get to the first name: "Han" is a specific "Solo". I tried to make this crossword an easy one (just for variety). Hence, I also spelled out which "Solo" the clue is referring to by qualifying with "featured-in-a-movie."
Delete"say" is not needed as the setter has given enough information to specify which "Solo" is meant in the clue.
Delete4D- Indication for removal of R?
ReplyDeleteI got it! Abruptly removes the last letter.
DeleteI see 'Thanks' in 8th row.
ReplyDeleteI see PACHAS in the middle top to bottom. Probably, it is his 50th? Our blog shows as 53
DeleteYes it is his 50th for THC. (Confirmed from comments in FB)
DeleteI could spot PACHAAS and THANKS as the 2 ninas
I think he made 3 CW's as Sunday Special and hence not included in TH.
DeleteRef: the setter's comment on this blog from last month. https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2023/08/no-13954-saturday-26-aug-2023-gussalufz.html
Delete----
Viresh Ratnakar 26 August 2023 at 13:40
My crossword next month will be my 50th for The Hindu. I'm in the middle of composing it right now. For variety, and to appease a few solvers who have been grumbling about my crosswords being too tough, I'm aiming to set an easy one. I know the Col. prefers that setters do not deliberately try to set easier offerings, but this will be just a one off. Regularly scheduled indeterminate hardness will return after that :-)
Vladimir was anxiously waiting for the CALLS...
ReplyDeleteThe APPROVALS....
PAYMENT had to be made.
He was PUFFING his Havana cigar. All of a sudden he BOLTED out of the room
after taking his hands off the ARMRESTS.
" I knew it was not that EASY. How could my character be BESMIRCHED? I would
have had to inform the BLOC or reach out to the ACADEMIA..."
He was then reminded of the problem in his CORNEA...the fall during the BHANGRA dance...the prayers to his family GODDESS...the GREENNESS of Her dress...
Now I need to take no more RISKS..."
What happened next?
Wow!
ReplyDeleteš
ReplyDeleteSuperb crossie!
ReplyDeleteAlways- from Gussalufz!
DeleteThanks, Ramesh & Padmanabhan!
Deletecongratulations for 'PACHAAS' . Nice theme nd easy spooner. cracked in few seconds. Again. tiny clarifications in anno. cable is fully ok . But pay is not matching with pa. ''pe' matches with homophone.
DeleteThanks! With Spoonerisms and Homophobes, variations in pronunciation make them seem unnatural, depending on the speaking style. Both US/UK sound links in this reference, for example, do agree with Spooner: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/capable
Delete'Lull before the storm' from Gussalufz? Thanks for the off break and not a Googly.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
Delete1D =capable
ReplyDeleteTV provider : cable
Give money: pay becomes pa (say)
Pa+cable (spoonerism): capable.
Close! You can do away with some unnecessary complexity: Spoonerisms are by sound only.
Delete1D : capable
ReplyDeleteTV provider : cable
Give money: pay (pa)
Spoonerism gives capable.
I think we can put it to rest. The annotation, to be precise, is: CAPABLE (with competence): Spoonerism of PAY (give money to) CABLE (TV provider).
Delete6d gussalufz as anind makws it a straight anagram!
ReplyDeleteCross=off
DeleteWord (formulate/order) anind.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGussalufz=setter
DeleteSetter's baker= off break?
Many thanks to all the solvers for feedback (keep it coming!) and to Col. Gopinath for blogging.
ReplyDeleteHere are my notes for this crossword:
Notes
This is my 50th cryptic crossword in the Hindu. I am grateful for this platform and would like to thank all solvers for giving my grids a go. All feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
My acknowledgement of THANKS can be seen as a nina running across the middle row. The word PACHAS, which means "fifty" in Hindi, can be seen running down the middle column.
For variety and fun, I've tried to set an easier crossword this time, deliberately (as stated by 14A's surface as well as solution). I've tried to keep the entries relatively simple, there are lots of hidden answers and anagrams, and there are lots of words used directly in the wordplay (i.e., without using synonyms). This is likely a one-off variation, but perhaps I will repeat this stunt every now and then (depending on solvers' reactions).
Personal notes
While I am decidedly an atheist, I have picked up a habit of attributing all good things in life to an unspecified entity whom I call Goddess. I think this started with me learning about how Ramanujan credited a goddess for his acumen. Contrariwise, I attribute all mishaps and problems—from hangnails to traffic jams—to an entity named Murphy (yes, the "Murphy's Law" Murphy). I think "Goddess and Murphy" would be a nice title for a book :-).
This crossword gig with the Hindu has been A Very Good Thing for me—Murphy has definitely been kept at bay. For that, I thank Goddess, who makes an appearance in the solution to 27A.
Gophy!
DeleteThank u Viresh for a nice & easy grid.
ReplyDeleteUnusually I solved u in 20 minutes.
Loved - CAPABLE, PAPER MONEY & SIGNS IN.
Thanks!
DeleteIt was an easy grid as the setter had promised, more of a "quiptic" than his usual output. Though the clues bore the typical hallmarks of good craftsmanship, the grid design itself somewhat isolated the top-left and bottom-right corners. I understand though how fitting a nina into a symmetrical grid could lead to such unconventional adjustments.
ReplyDeletePer usual with Gussalufz, I was looking for the nina. Once spotted, it helped me fill 17D. The easter-eggs in 14A and in 5D were fun, and "solo, featured-in-a-movie" as HAN in 26A elicited a chuckle, as did "actress Bhatt's" = ALIAS in 7D. DEC as "last month" in 15A was nice. I liked POW as "one caught in a conflict" in 21A.
The surface reading of 24A was well-played, mimicking bland, sycophantic corporate jargon. I enjoyed the surface of 29A, which was written like a headline one might see here in Chennai. My favourite clue in terms of surface reading and wordplay was 12A ARMRESTS - it was a connoisseur's delight.
I, too, was confused by "not the best" = B in 19A, though I can see how it works, with phrases like "b-grade" and the like. I am not sure how the word "Gussalufz" fits into the clue for 6D, as per my understanding the RA does not need an anagrind in the clue - the anagrind is a part of the solution itself.
Thanks for the detailed review, as always! While technically an RA does not need an indicator, I (and many others) think it is fairer when an indicator is given of the sort that means "in a cryptic clue sense".
DeleteCongratulations Viresh !
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Delete